This invention relates to liquid weighing systems for weighing a plurality of liquids for batching.
Weighing of individual liquid components to be added to solid material such as food or animal feed, or to make up an all liquid batch of material such as paint, conventionally requires fairly complex apparatus if the process is to be accurate. It is frequently desirable to be able to change from weighing one group of ingredients to another group, successively, using the apparatus. For example, it may be desired to change from combining materials and additives for beef cattle feed to combining different additives and ingredients for calf feed.
Prior apparatus, to the extend known, basically relies upon volumetric metering of the individual components in efforts to obtain the desired result. Volumetric measurements do not necessarily give the desired weight measurements, however. The result can be inventory drift.
It would be desirable to be able to readily combine components based upon weight characteristics. Moreover, it would be desirable to be able to employ varying size weighing vessels when products of different types are to be sequentially prepared.
Certain components to be combined, e.g., for animal feed, require elevated temperatures. Typical of such ingredients would be fat, to maintain its liquidity. However, applied head can alter the weighing results by affecting the weight sensing mechanism. Another difficulty with apparatus of this type is the problem of keeping the discharge valves clean of residual materials, especially when changing from one product to another.